As my teams this past year have done rather well, the Steelers won the SuperBowl, the Sooners went to the National Championship Game, the Penguins went to the Stanley Cup Final and Pitt just made it to the Elite Eight last night... and then we have the Pirates... hey we are consistent...

People say change is good... well the Pirates went through some changes last year... new ownership group... new GM... new Manager... same results... well maybe not...

Players like Ryan Doumit and Nate McClouth had break out years along with pitcher Paul Maholm... but players like Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez were not able to replicate their prior seasons, mostly due to injuries... pitchers like Ian Snell and Zach Duke while sticking with the Pirates did not continue to develop as we had hoped they would... Tom Gorzelanny fell off dramatically and ended up in Indianapolis as a result (back there this year already)

So what does 2009 hold for my beloved Pirates??? my glass is half full opinion is that we have a chance to get to that elusive .500 mark... while I know that is not the ultimate goal, for a team like the Pirates it would be huge for us... John Russell our 2nd year skipper mentions that he does not have that as a goal for the team... well for those of us that have suffered through the curse of Francisco Cabrera, we will take it... a sign of progress...

Let's see how this can happen... first pitching... Joe Kerrigan, the man who has taught the likes of Pedro Martinez what it means to be intimidating has the tough task of making this staff tougher... the Pirate pitchers have a tendency to nibble on the outside corner and as a result have made opposing hitters way to comfortable at the plate... so with a starting staff of Maholm, Snell, Duke, Ohlendorf and Karstens/Vasquez we could have a formiddable staff... no one will mistake this rotation with Yankees or the Red Sox, but it can provide this team with opportunities to win some games... the bullpen will be anchored by Matt Capps a solid closer that is a strike throwing machine and have John Grabow fresh off his WBC classic performance with the US team and Tyler Yates a flame throwing righty acquired from Atlanta last spring. Former starter Sean Burnett can provide solid work from the left side and the aforementioned Craig Hansen looks to regain his form that made him a 1st round pick. This years rule 5 selection Donnie Veal can bring it... just not always where he wants it hence he is a rule 5 pickup... and last years rule 5 selection Evan Meek is looking to stick with the big club this season as well. So Joe, you have your work cut out for you... this team will go only as far as the pitching will take us...if....

...the position players can play up to their potential... handling this staff will fall on the shoulders of Ryan Doumit... while having his best year last year, he must show that he can do it again... with the Pirates, he is a middle of the order hitter... on other teams he might be better suited to hit further down in the order, but no such protection here... while he will not hit 30 HRs... he can hit 15-20 and hit around .300... pretty good for a switch-hitting catcher. Adam LaRoche performing in a contract year will look to have two 2nd halves this season... a notoriuosly slow starter for the Pirates, Adam needs to half a strong start for this team to have a good start... Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson can be a pretty good middle to the infield... both suffered through injuries last year and with a team that has as little depth as the Pirates... well it was not good... at 3rd base another LaRoche... Andy... he has been a prizedprospect for the Dodgers the past few years... now is his opportunity to shine... he has all but been handed the 3rd base job this spring... so far so good... lets see what he can do once the sason starts... as we head to the outfield, we have some interesting choices... center field is set with Nate McClouth as he has converted himself from a 4th outfielder to a gold glove allstar center fielder... he might not duplicate last years performance, but if he can come close, no issues in center... as for left field, it looks like Nyjer Morgan will get the nod... a fleet footed leadoff hitter, he can bring some sorely lacking speed top a plodding team... he has shown signs of promise in the past two season, but consistency has been lacking... in right field, Brandon Moss gets his shot... his left handed power would be a welcome addition to a lineup with out a true power hitter (sorry Adam)... if he can get his stroke dialed in, the short porch he patrols in right will be inviting

While the bench will not be a huge asset again this year, a player like Eric Hinske can provide sme pop and if need be can fill in at a corner outfield spot or a corner infield spot if needed... Craig Monroe has shown signs of regaining his form of a few years ago can be a big bat from the right side and fill in aroundthe outfield if need be... Ramon Vazquez will provide some infield depth as will Luis Cruz or Brian Bixler... the catching position will be backed-up by either Robinson Cruz or newly acquired Jason Jamarillo, if either needs to play significant time, the Pirates will bein trouble...

There are a few players to keep an eye on... I am thinking that they will be getting some minor league seasoning before we see them @ PNC Park...

Steve Pearce is the closest to being ready, he might stick leaving Florida... a few dings this spring have limited his AB's thus far... probably ticketed for AAA to start, but has some pop... seems to push when he has gotten his chance... if and it is a very big if he settles down, he can rake

Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen are the next big things for the Pirates... Neil is currently at 3rd base, but has been mentioned as a possible 2nd baseman in the future... depending upon Andy LaRoche, this Pittsburgh native has moved from catcher to 3rd already in his young career, but his stick is what the Pirates are looking for... as for Andrew... he could very well be on this team as they head north, but the Pirates are using uncharacteristic patience with this phenom... already having a year of AAA under his belt at the age of 21, the Pirates are waiting to see hat happens with the current group of outfielders before calling up Andrew... he will play everyday when he is called up, so they are taking their time with him... great glove, great speed and get this pretty good idea of the strike zone... something the Pirates are finally trying to teach...

The Pirates also have two boppers that will be smashing their way through the minors this season, but look primed to be with the big club soon... Pedro Alvarez, last years number 1 pick has been seen hammering balls all over Bradenton this spring... reminding Manny Sangullien of Willie Stargell... wow... as a Pirate fan, there are not too many things to get excited about, but I believe Manny... he did say Ryan Doumit was the real thing last spring... and Jose Tabata another component of the trades last year has been mentioned time and time again by John Russell as a 'wow' bat... te ball really jumps off his bat... while buried in the Yankee organization he was a bit of abad apple... but he seems to see this trade as a new lease on life... Alvarez might be moved to 1st base and look for him to take Adam LaRoche's place if he decides to leave via free agency after this year... or possibly a trade for more 'organizatonal depth' this summer??? as for Tabata... maybe not this yar, but the idea of McClouth, McCutchen and Tabata roaming PNC in the near future could be exciting...

We do have a few arms as well Daniel McCutchen threw well wnought to raise the eyebrow of Chuck Tanner this spring... that is a good thing... Jeff Sues will have a chance to grow... Jimmy Barthmaier also had a few moments this spring that caused some to notice...

Alright... 2009... lets see if we can get out of the gates quickly... eliminate the pressure of having to catch .500 the entire season... as with most clubs injuries will be a key... we do not have a lot of depth... pitch inside, do not allow hitters to get comfortable... throw strikes... let the defense, that has a chance to be pretty good, do their thing... some timely hitting... and the Pirates could get off the snide... .500 is a possibility... and if the stars align, we could get a few wins over .500... stranger things have happened...

I will never be confused for a Yankee fan; however Yankee Stadium does hold a special place in my heart...

Billy Crystal had made a comment some time ago about his first ever experience at Yankee Stadium, he mentioned the smell of the stadium, the stale beer and the hot dogs, he mentioned the colors, the greenest grass, the bluest sky, he mentioned the ghosts... and I sat there thinking yeah right... Yankee lover... how can grass be greener or the sky bluer??? and ghosts come on...

He was right... I had the good fortune of going to Yankee stadium on a few occassions, the first time, I do not recall the team, the players, the score, just the stadium... and for me that is rare... all I remember from my first Yankee game was the smells, the colors and the ghosts...

For those who have been, you know what I am talking about... it is a cathedral of baseball... the history of the game is so thick you need to cut through it with your program... everywhere you look something is better than you could have imagined... monument park is a hallowed ground... just thinking about it is giving me chills...

My memories of Yankee Stadium are not nearly as great as many I have seen/heard on television this week, but they all have their place in my heart... Reggie being Reggie (before Manny was being Manny), George Brett racing from the dugout tobacco juice flowing, pine tar on hands, pitching dominance --- Righetti/Cone and Wells, old timer's games as a kid when I was able to see Mick and Yogi, Dimaggio and Rizutto, even Pepitone... and the modern day heroes, Jeter and Williams, Rivera and Posada and even A-Rod...

I had a chance to go to the Stadium last year and see my beloved Pirates... fall to the Yankees and I thought that this would be my last time at this cathedral... I did not properly thank my friend for getting me tickets because I was too caught up in the moment. Even days later I was still breathing in Yankee Stadium air, thinking about the greenest grass, the bluest sky and those ghosts...

So as the Stadium will have it's last game played there tonight, I wanted to take a moment to thank all the people that have made Yankee Stadium great... too many to mention here... and to remind the ghosts, that the trip to the new yard is just across the street, The Babe, The Iron Horse, The Mick, Joltin Joe and all the others to party tonight, because we will be moving soon!!!

Moving to New York at the ripe of age of one and a half, I grew up in one of the most amazing places in the world and for that I am eternally thankful. My parents relocated to Long Island from the city of Pittsburgh in the spring of 1973, leaving behind their entire life and more importantly their family. While we were able to quickly adjust to big city life, we continued to call Pittsburgh 'home'.

We made annual pilgrimages each and every summer to go 'home' and see the family. This is one of the reasons that I still consider myself a Pittsburgher. During these trips, we went to see grandparents, aunts and uncles and the rest of the family. It was during these trips that I was introduced to sports.

My god-father is an avid runner, waking up before the sun came up, feet continually pounding the dew laden pavement each and every morning. I can vividly recall many a morning watching him trudge his way back down the winding road yearning for the last few strides to be over. As he came down the driveway a smile would appear on his face as he saw me waiting for him to return. We would walk into the garage, stopping at the fridge to grab a quick drink and then we would go to the store. There was nothing special about the store, just a convenience store, he would make his way through the store grabbing a few things (I was not paying attention) making his way back to the register, he paused and grabbed a pack of baseball cards, smiled at me and threw them down with the rest of his items.

When we climbed into the car, he grabbed the pack of cards and handed them to me. Having never seen sports cards before, I looked at him as to find out what I should do... "Open them". My four year old hands could not pull the wax paper off the cards quickly enough. This was my nirvana, the cards appeared to glow in my hands, sixteen pieces of cardboard with glossy pictures, a fabric sticker patch with a batting helmet and of course the best tasting piece of gum I ever tasted.

It was in that moment that we shared a moment that I will never forget. As I shuffled through the cards, he noticed a Pirate and even more importantly the fabric sticker in the pack was a Pittsburgh Pirate batting helmet. I was hooked, that sticker made it's way on to my jacket and I proudly became a Pirate fan that day. Over the next few days we returned to that store, and I would just run from the car to the counter, not worrying about anything but my baseball cards.

Needless to say, this ritual continued and my love for the Pirates grew with each and every pack. Better yet, I came to find that they have football cards, and basketball cards and hockey cards, luckily this was not all at the same time as that would have been too much for me to wrap my four year old mind around. I now had a purpose, I was going to get all of my players, each and every season. This was before card shows and 'cheating' by buying individual cards, I was going to do it the right way, buy a pack with every quarter I came across and find my guys. Anybody that has ever opened a pack of cards knows the feeling that overwhelms you at that moment, the ritual of 'got'em, got'em, got'em, need'em, need'em' as you rifle through one pack after another is unique to that experience. The euphoria of finding the next Pirate, the next Steeler, and the next Penguin was second to none.

So here we are some 30 years or so later, the prices have gone up, the cards are fancier, the gum is gone, but every once in a while, I turn back into that four year old little boy, grab a pack of cards and rifle through them looking for my guys.